Medtronic Accused of Trying to Illegally Block Competition

In a classic David vs. Goliath story, Applied Medical is suing the world's largest medical device company for antitrust practices in the advanced bipolar energy device market.

The complaint, filed in Central California's U.S. District Court, accuses Medtronic of bundling surgical devices in a way that blocks competition and is bad for hospitals and patients. Rancho Santa Margarita, CA-based Applied Medical claims it has had trouble selling its devices to multiple hospitals because of their contracts with Medtronic and associated rebates.